Electrical boxes are well known and have been used for decades in buildings. Electrical boxes are used both in walls and ceilings to provide electrical current to various places within a building. Further, the electrical boxes may also be used to mount various electrical receptacles, such as duplex or decorator outlets, or electrical switches. In ceilings, electrical boxes function to support the weight of the light fixture or ceiling fan in addition to providing electrical current to operate the light and/or fan.
Electrical boxes can be installed in a number of different ways. In new construction, the electrical boxes are mounted directly to studs or trusses and then drywall is mounted. In retrofit applications, the electrical box is mounted to drywall instead of the studs. In ceiling fan box retrofit installations the ceiling fan box must be mounted to the studs or other suitable structure so that the ceiling fan weight may be properly supported during fan operation.